Carbon Monoxyde

Leesfield & Partners has represented dozens of clients who were exposed to carbon monoxide and sustained irreversible damages as a result of CO poisoning. The damages from carbon monoxide poisoning are life-altering at best and can result in death.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that, if exposed to individual for any length time, will cause irreversible brain damage in the long term. In the short term, a person will experience nausea, vomiting, migraine, headaches, loss of balance, general weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, mental confusion, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness. If discovered in time, a victim can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy. This helps to reduce the level of carbon monoxide is a person’s blood and slowly improve upon the person’s symptoms.

Recently, Leesfield & Partners successfully represented almost 20 guests who were exposed to carbon monoxide in a large Key West hotel. A case by case settlement was achieved by Ira Leesfield & Tom Scolaro within months of the incident. Multiple inspections were performed and the coordination of our investigation with the local police and fire marshals was crucial is uncovering the cause of the carbon monoxide. The cause of the incident were the makeshift repairs made in-house by hotel staff to the boiler room and the lack of inspection and permitting to perform the repairs

After that case was over, our firm pushed for the passage of new legislation that would help preventing such incident to repeat itself. Finally, a new law passed in Florida, which now requires that every building for which a building permit is issued for new construction, and having a fossil-fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage shall have an approved operational carbon monoxide alarm installed within 10 feet of each room used for sleeping purposes. (Fla. Stat. § 553.885)

More recently, Tom Scolaro represented several college students who were poisoned by carbon monoxide that leaked inside their college house. A settlement was quickly entered after our investigation determined that the main section of the house showed over 200 ppm of Carbon Monoxide. The readings were taken after the gas line had already been shut off and locked out, and after the first responders had started to ventilate the house. The source was quickly identified and the exhaust pipe for the gas furnace was at fault, as it was not exhausting the carbon monoxide, which led to a build up throughout the house. A confidential settlement was reached for each and every student who was injured in this incident.

If you or a loved one were injured or exposed to carbon monoxide and sustained irreversible brain injury, contact our firm immediately at 305-854-4900 to talk to our experienced Miami attorneys.